If It's Not The Fish That Kills You
by Mrs-N-Uzumaki
Summary: It's just food poisoning...right?
1. Chapter 1

I was getting so tired of waiting around all day for a new RP Evan Whumpage fic that I impetuously decided to write one myself!

I thought about the most plausible whumpage case for Evan that would be most suitable for the show and I came up with-…wait, why am I telling you when you can find out for yourself? ;P

This is my first Royal Pains fic so be gentle please :D

Side Note: By far, my favourite RP fic would have to be **Yellow and Green Make A Man Blue** by **Alex Kade**

X

_Thoughts_

"Speeches"

"_Whispers_"

xXx – Scene Change

Disclaimer: Even if I did have a problem seems like I wouldn't be the only one (hint hint) ;P

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><p><strong>If It's Not The Fish That Kills You<strong>

* * *

><p>The young accountant groggily sat up from his bed, yawing with fatigue as he extended his arms out from the night-long rigidity. His eyes rolled to the side of his bed as he read his beside alarm shift towards 7:00 AM. He laced his fingers together and widened his arms out once more to rid of the stiffness within them, hearing a few clicks thereby after. Once he stood from the comfort of his bed he strolled down the stairs, intending to cook some breakfast. His eyes searched the area in the fridge in hopes of finding some eggs and milk. His next move left his arm exploring the corner of the cupboard for some flour.<p>

xXx

The concierge doctor exhaled in fulfilment as he stared into his new designer watch (in which Evan bought as a gift for a triumphant investment with a big "whale") to confirm the time of his return. The sweaty-looking Hank jogged back into the guest house and intently listened to the concert his brother was enacting as he flipped a pancake. The delightful smell stirred into his nostrils, enticing his appetite.

"For me? You shouldn't have," said Hank, his hand sliding into a plate of the treats.

"Oh I didn't," Evan replied as he slapped his brother's hand away. "These are for Divya."

"I'm sure she's not gonna eat _all_ of them," the doctor said, making another attempt for grabs, only to have Evan pull the plate away.

"With all that's been going on in her life, I wouldn't be so surprised." Evan watched his elder brother raise his eyebrows as he continued, "Because, you know, women tend to eat when they are depressed…and stuff."

Hank chortled. "How thoughtful of you."

"I know." Evan grinned. "I can be so biddable sometimes."

The doctor's eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. "I…don't think you know biddable means."

"Of course I know."

"You really ought to start looking up the words you use, Ev."

"Whatever," Evan waved his hand frivolously before turning off the cooker. "Go take a shower, you stink!"

"Oh really?"

"Tcheah!" the accountant replied with a few sniggers.

"Oh, well in that case, let me take the time to apologise for being so insensitive about your vocabulary." Evan raised his eyebrow in confusion, then widened his eyes knowing what's about to take place. "C'mere so I can give my brother one, big, sweaty hug!"

Evan's legs shifted abruptly before Hank had managed to make a grab for his brother, "Keep your sopping arms away from me! Hen-" He continuously dodged Hank's attempts. "Henry, I'm being serious here! Hen-"

"Looks like I'll be eating breakfast elsewhere?" Their attention quickly diverted towards the Physician Assistant. "Seeing as how you two are…busy." The distraction gave Hank enough time to finish off his mission.

"AW DUDE, NO!" Evan whimpered as he felt his white shirt beginning to soak from his brother's tight grip. "So gross!"

Henry chuckled in response. "Actually no, because Evan here-" he twirled his arm around his little brother's neck which led Evan wincing and scrunching his face at the dampness now forming in the nape of his neck, "-took the time to cook you some pancakes."

"Hmm…" Divya paced towards the plate of treats that lay on the kitchen counter. "They _do_ smell pretty good."

xXx

"You may be obtuse in many things, Evan," Divya started as she sliced piece of pancake off the plate and placed it into her mouth, "but cooking's certainly not one of them."

A corner of Evan's full lips rose. "Thanks…I think," he responded, watching her eat in the past ten minutes after he arrived from a prolonged shower he had to take on account of his hug-loving, thoughtful brother.

"What about you, Ev?" Hank spoke, also placing a portion into his mouth. "You haven't even touched one yet."

"Actually I not feeling very, uh, appetised right now…"

Divya snickered. "Is that even a word?"

"No," Hank replied, a smile forming in his lips; but it soon faded as he watched his brother's rigid expression. "You alright, Ev?"

"Huh?" Evan's blue eyes lolled up to face his familiar. "Oh, yeah, I guess. I'm just a little...what's the word?" he mumbled. "Nauseas."

Hank looked up, interested. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I think I'm coming down with a cold or something." He sighed, but promptly regained his posture. "But fear not! I shall waste no time today. I'll be fishing for my biggest catch yet with this whale!"

Hank scoffed scornfully. "No."

"Wh-…what do you mean 'no'?"

"It's exactly what it means. Last time I brought you along with a billionaire client you couldn't stop gabbling about opportunities that supposedly lay for him for an investment in HankMed, in which he responded to a well firm NO more times than I can count!"

"That old geezer didn't even give me a chance to finish my speech for the brilliant benefits our business could offer, especially with our current failing economy!"

"Evan, you dented his million-dollar car then offered to trade it with _mine_! Not to mention following him around like a lost puppy all over his mansion, including the bathroom, continuingly asking to take a ride in the same car you dented." He waited for Evan to reply; when there was no response he continued, "It's a wonder why he didn't kick us out within the first ten minutes of the appointment."

"That's because you're an amazing doctor and your reputation precedes you," the financial chief answered. "In which I helped to build by the way, _you're very welcome._"

Hank rolled his eyes. "Divya are we ready to leave?"

"Certainly, I can no longer sit here and listen to the degradation Evan's bringing into the image of our business."

"I sign your cheques, missy! Remember that the next time you decide to ridicule my methods!"

"Bye, Evan!" Hank waved, Divya passing through the doorway in attempt to ignore the accountant's remarks, as he closed the door behind him.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Evan yelled, with no luck for an answer, as he paced closer to the entrance. "Oh and by the way don't worry about cleaning up! I'll be more than HAPPY to do it for you!" his arms flailed in sync with his exclamation. "_Like I always do…"_ Evan contemptuously added, more so to himself. Once he stationed the three spotless plates back into the corner of the cupboard, he decided to skim through HankMed spread sheets in hopes of occupying his current free time. "Geez…" he muttered as his fingers began to stroke his abdomen, hoping to ease the escalating pain. "Just what did I eat last night?"

xXx

"And there you have it, all done." Hank smiled, placing his equipment back into his old-fashioned brown bag. "Now I must tell you, Gracie, that you have to spend the rest of the week resting so it wouldn't swell up, we want it to heal as fast as possible."

"Alright Hank," Gracie replied. "You're the doc."

"And that means no working either! Take the rest of the week off, it's the perfect time to laze around without having to feel guilty about it," he tittered, causing his patient to echo his laughter.

"And on that note," Divya spoke, "we shall be leaving. We'll do a follow up next week." Gracie made an attempt to stand in hopes of escorting her visitors' way out.

"No, it's okay, don't get up," Hank gently placed his hand onto Gracie's shoulder to prevent her from moving. "We'll manage."

"Thanks for everything." The patient waved as she watched them walk pass the house entrance.

xXx

The resonating sound of the rubble grounds shadowed the medic's movements, as he prepared to stride towards the new truck Divya had received on account of Evan's intention to enliven the young associate.

"Who's next?" Hank spoke as he fastened his seatbelt.

"Our next appointment will be taking place…" Divya's eyes searched through her phone, "in about two hours. It's a slow day today."

"And we should take full advantage of it." Hank smiled. "We haven't had an easy-paced working day in months. Do you wanna get something to eat?"

"We just had pancakes!"

"That was three hours ago," Hank shrugged.

Divya chuckled. "I think I'm beginning to see the family resemblance."

"What?" Hank's head perked up when he failed to absorb his associate's previous remark.

"Nothing," she waved. "Maybe later. Oh shoot!" She frustratingly added searching through her bag.

"What's up?" Hank spoke, voiced with concern.

"I left my purse back at the guesthouse; do you mind if we-?"

"No, not at all."

xXx

Evan groaned, stood from his seated position and nestled cold water into his hands as he sprayed the liquid onto his warm face. He deeply sighed and pressed the flushing button. The vile taste of spew continued to linger in his mouth.

"_I need a breath mint_," he uttered to himself. When he had no luck in finding a pack in his room or his brother's, he ushered himself downstairs to continue to hunt, "C'mon, a house full of expensive devices and lavish items and nothing as simple as breath mints?"

"Hey, Ev." He heard his brother call as he arrived into the kitchen with his PA by his side before she took off into another room. "What's with the temper tantrum?"

"Do you have any mints?" Evan responded to which his brother motioned with a no. "This revolting taste in my mouth is making me wanna …wanna…" Henry furrowed his eyebrows in concern watching Evan sigh for a moment. The CFO continued once he was sure he took control of his gagging reflex. "I think I may have food poisoning from that new restaurant. I _told_ you there was something fishy about that place!"

"Evan, it's a sea-food diner. It _has_ to be fishy," Hank sniggered lightly.

"What's fishy?" Divya said, entering into the conversation, "Evan's supposed degree in financial literacy?"

"Ha-ha," the accountant dryly remarked.

"Actually no," Henry replied. "Evan thinks he has food poisoning from the fish he ate at that restaurant yesterday."

"Oh? Then how is it that we're not affected? We all ate the same dish, right?"

"You're right, Divya, it was that salmon with-"

"Guys, can we please stop talking about…" Evan paused, "…abou…ab-" his hand instantly flew to his face as he dashed for the bathroom. He briskly brushed passed the two, almost knocking them down with alarm. They both absentmindedly flinched at the sound of the bathroom door slamming. Their faces formed recoiled features at the sound of Evan's coughing-vomit.

xXx

"Ev, you alright, buddy?" Hank coaxed as he tapped onto the bathroom door.

"Do I sound alright?" Evan retorted in between his breaths and vomitting.

Divya rolled her eyes and asked, "Do you want us to come in?" In that instant the bathroom door was pulled open, almost knocking the doctor out of balance as he leaned onto the door frame. Once he regained his posture within those seconds he tailed Evan as he escorted them down the stairs.

"How was the billionaire client? Please tell me you at least offered to share the ultimate HankMed clientele package."

"You just threw up last night's dinner and you're more concerned over scoring a big 'whale'?"

Evan slightly winced at the particular choice of wording. However, he was more anxious over the growing pain that has been agonising him throughout the morning. Before he could respond to Hank, Evan slanted slightly, a hand resting onto the kitchen counter and the other vigilantly caressing his abdomen.

"Alright, that tears it." Hank paced closer to his brother, Divya subsequently following. "Let me examine you." Evan let his brother walk him towards the sofa, knowing he had no energy left to argue.

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>

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><p>I'll stop there 'cos I have no ideas left in this chapter. I'll update once I know where I'm going with this story :)<p>

Review, por favor.

Mrs-N-Uzumaki xx


	2. Chapter 2

Okay now** I** have a serious royal pain – for those who alert, favourite, even author alert and favourite, WHY WON'T YOU EVEN SPARE 10 FRIKIN' SECONDS OF YOUR LIFE TO REVIEW? Jesus! I would even appreciate a simple feedback of "update" 'cos I know you enjoy it enough to bloody comment! COME ON PEOPLE STOP BEING SO DAMN LAZY! It really discourages authors when you do this and by doing that they would be less willing to update since you're less willing to review their story.

So GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASSES AND REVIEW!

*Breathes* Now that I got that outta my system, I would like to take the time to thank the rest of the half who actually left the most wonderfully encouraging reviews!

So **Alex Kade**,**singergurlxoxo**,**lizaD**,**potterfan2006**,**MegalegU**,** Alyssa**, **lortenfide**,**xLaurelCullenxx**, **writeallnight, **and **Principessa Di Morte **I am dedicating this chapter to you wonderful readers :)

x

_Thoughts_

"Speeches"

"_Whispers_"

xXx – Scene Change

Disclaimer: If I did, Evan would be mine to whumpage! Mwahahaha! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p>Evan heedfully sprawled onto the sofa with Hank and Divya by his side. Hank motioned him to lie down on his back while he began to press against his brother's abdomen. "Can you locate the pain, Ev?"<p>

"My stomach in general," Evan replied, hissing in pain.

"Where specifically? Lower right, left?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, that way I can determine whether it may be a case of appendicitis."

"A little dramatic there, Henrietta." Evan sat up. "I'm sure it's just the flu,"

Divya turned to Hank. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but he may be right, Hank."

Henry gingerly pushed Evan back onto the sofa. "You can never be too cautious in this business." Hank stood up and dug his hand into his Gladstone bag. "Now when have these symptoms begun to show?"

"Um…I dunno exactly, the vomiting started last night," Evan responded, squinting in thought.

"What about your abdominal pain and loss of appetite?"

"I have been experiencing that for a while actually."

"You have?" Hank's eyebrows furrowed and shifted his attention back towards his brother. "For how long?" Hank positioned himself onto the sofa, placing his bag onto his lap.

"Well this sharp pain actually started almost two days ago, and then it sort of…went away for a bit, but now it came back worse than ever."

Divya turned to Hank in concern then diverted her attention back towards Evan. "Why haven't you mentioned this before?"

"We've been so busy lately with HankMed and everything I hardly had the time to think about it."

"Yo-" A familiar ringing cut Hank's effort in continuing the conversation. He dug into his pocket to find his mobile vibrating. He motioned his finger with "give me a minute" as he answered the call. "Hello? Uh huh…yup. Alright, I'll be there." He hung up and turned back to his team. "Okay, Ev, we'll have your blood tested for infection and we'll book an abdominal examination to detect inflammation so we can rule out appendicitis. And if the pain gets any worst you _have_ to tell us and we can book you a CT Scan."

"Hm..." Evan pursed his lips. "Watching you in your…_element_ Henry is exhilarating, it really is, but today I'm all booked buddy so how about we put a rain check on the blood testing, the scanning and whatnot? Preferably," Evan looked down at his watch, "...never."

"I wasn't asking, Evan." Hank stood and turned to his assitant. "Divya, I hate to ask bu-"

"I'll do the blood test and book the examination…and babysit," she responded. "And if any changes occur I will let you know."

"I'm so glad I hired you." He smiled.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! What do I look like to you? A child?" Evan retorted as he slowly sat up and was met with raised eyebrows from the two. "Actually, don't answer that. C'mon Hank, none of that is necessary! Not to mention it'll hold up my job in this business. If you care to remember I deal with the finance, and you know money never sleeps. Therefore, I need to constantly be filing through our finances. Do you want HankMed to suffer a fiscal fall like last time? I think not..."

Henry ignored his brother's ramblings. "I'll be back soon, Divya. Bye, Evan."

"You did no-he did not just ignore me!" the young accountance gasped exasperatingly.

"Lay down, Evan." Divya shoved sterile gloves into her hands and drew out a needle. She noticed Evan's face draining of colour and gaining a layer of white as she softly brushed the minuscule amount of cotton onto the surface of his forearm. "If you stay still, this would only take a second." Before she could get a hold of his arm he shifted away.

"Get that hazardous thing away from me!"

"Stop…being…such...a baby!" They both continually struggled with conflict as Evan insistently swung his arms as far as possible from the prickly piece of medical equipment. "EVAN!" Divya puffed as she halted for breath. "We work in a medical business. Therefore, you and I both know that I _will _find another way to get this needle through your arm. Whether you are conscious, or not."

Evan gulped. "Okay, okay, just give me some time."

"For _what?"_

"To prepare." Evan sighed. "Now would you mind getting me some water while I relax? My throat's as dry as the Sahara desert."

Divya exhaled in frustration and stood to make her way to the kitchen.

xXx

Hank's gloved fingers prickled around the next of his current male patient, examining with each touch. "The swelling of your throat was caused by an allergic reaction, and since your body never had this reaction before it has to be from something new that you ate." Hank moved his hands away. "So what food did you eat that you think might have triggered the reaction?"

"Hm…I only had one meal and it was my specialty, it never caused any damages before."

"Did you add a new ingredient?"

The patient clicked his fingers. "Yes! I did - a pinch of darchini. My wife suggested it would give the food some colour."

"Well there you have it." Hank smiled. "But just to make sure we'll have your blood tested. I'll book for a routine check-up and have it tested then. Sound good?"

"Sure does, doc. Thanks a lot for coming." They both exchanged a handshake.

"No problem, and call me Hank."

As the doctor prepared to leave he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He waved to his patient and slid into his car. "Hey, Divya, how's our patient?"

"Please_ tell me you'll be coming back soon._"

He chuckled at the playfully frustrated tone of his physician assistant's voice. "Evan giving you trouble?"

"_You did not tell me he would be such a big baby about needles!_" Hank then heard a distant voice calling out from the phone that vividly deciphered "_I heard that!", _which he supposed came from his irritated brother.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a few minutes. And give him space, he'll eventually give in in his own time."

"_So that whole 'give me some time to prepare' charade actually works? I've been watching him like hawk just so he wouldn't use it as an excuse to run._"

"Oh he tried that once." Hank chuckled at the recollection of that moment. "He actually thought he would outrun a runner!"

Divya chuckled. "_Hm…it's gone suspiciously quiet. Are you prepared yet?"_ She called out, with no response in return. "_You…don't think he actually ran?"_

"He wouldn't!" He heard shuffling and then silence. "Did he run?"

The doctor heard a sigh of relief from the phone. "_No, he's just resting. Don't think this fake charade of yours will avoid the blood test. I'll do it whether you're awake or supposedly asleep."_

Hank adjusted his phone onto loud speaker as he began to drive. "Is he really asleep?"

"_I'm preparing the needle, Evan." _Hank waited briefly for further responses from his brother. He continued to listen to a few subtle background sounds, assuming Divya's tapping his brother's forearm by now.

"_Huh...that's weird." _Divya said after a couple of seconds.

_"_What is?" Hank momentarily shifted his attention to his phone currently positioned below his stereo and back to the road.

_"I just shoved the needle into his arm and he barely flinched at the contact."_

Henry furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "What?"

_"Evan?" _The tone of his associate's voice left an unsettling churn in his stomach.

"What's going on, Divya?" Failing to receive a response Hank spoke again. "Is everything okay?"

_"Hang on._" This time her tone was laced with urgency. Hank exhaled in concern and anxiously waited for a response, listening to the sounds of some additional scuffling and beeping.

"_I'm taking out the heart monitor." _

"Heart monitor? Divya, what the hell is going on?"

"_Hank_," she said, dangerously serious. "_His heart rate's increasing and his BP has fallen significantly."_

"What?" Henry felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"_HANK, HE'S NOT RESPONDING!"_

"Call 911 IMMEDIATELY, I'll meet you shortly. In the meantime stay on the phone..." He sputtered further medical terminology with his PA, trying his best to calm by letting his professional instincts take over his brotherly ones. Henry found himself speeding the rest of the way, his foot never leaving the accelerator, with the additional constant worry lingering at the back of his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

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><p>Um...please don't kill me? I know it's not much but at least I'm finally heading somewhere! And I have been doing a crap load of research to find the diagnosis I'm going to use!<p>

But for now, lemme know what you guys think :)

Side note: I LOVE the fact that I even got my brother into the show recently and it made my heart so happy when he said "When does Evan get hurt?" Even HE demands Evan whumpage. The writers of the show are so damn oblivious!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay I'll have to apologise for my mini-rank in my previous update. I wrote that when I was seriously **frustrated** and I reached my boiling point (a lot of it due to major family conflict)– reminds you of a character in a certain episode? Yes, Evan caused some damaged but he eventually comes through to the people he cares about…in this case it's my readers :)

And for the record I don't really blame Evan that much. We all do something we later regret when we're pissed off, right? And when everything piles up and you're pissed because of it you just want someone to blame it on to get rid of some of the steam. But give Evan some time to cool off and he'll come to his senses like he always does and I'll bet you he will even pay for the damages of his bro's car! It would piss me off too if my sibling had the same excuse to use every time he couldn't explain a secret (yes I know it's the LAW but still…y'know what I mean!).

I love Evan too much to let his character's reputation drop!

But let's be honest here, it's clear the writers used Evan's slightly out-of-character anger to just once get them to seriously fight…but they are doing it wrong! And it's tearing Hank and Evan lovers apart!

Alright I'll stop there! But what do you guys think about this? I'd love to hear your opinions!

NOW ON WITH THE STORY! :D

P.S. **whynotlive** – like I promised, chapter is dedicated to you! And a special thanks to **LizaD** for taking the time to beta read!

X

_Thoughts_

"Speeches"

"_Whispers_"

xXx – Scene Change

_Flashbacks _

Summary: It's just food poisoning…right?

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me twice.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

* * *

><p>The sound of squeaking Italian shoes (a long ago purchase by an ex-fiancé) echoed through the bustling hallway of Heritage Hospital. Pacing in apprehension, Hank exhaled deeply as he crossed his arms onto his chest.<p>

"Hank, please stop pacing. You're making me nauseous." Divya rubbed the surface of her forehead. She was just as nervous as the doctor was but knew for his sake that she needed to keep it concealed.

"I'm sorry, Divya." The doctor halted his incessant marching and took a seat next to his assistant. "It's just...it's shaping up to be a very long wait." The stress of the situation wormed its way into his foot, leaving it to bounce in anticipation. "Maybe I should go speak with Jill, she might know what's-" the older man muttered more to himself than to the young woman sitting in the next chair.

"Hank, relax." Divya reached out and put a firm hold on the doctor's wrist before the anxious man had gripped the chance to make his way down to the business administrator's office. "She'll be here soon _with_ the blood test and a theory we can work with, which means Evan will be back to his old annoying self within the next few days."

"I know but-"

"Hank!" The two HankMed workers turned their heads to the direction of a familiar soft, sounding, female voice.

"Paige, I-" Before Hank could manage to stop her, the agitated young woman let a loose flood of words all centred on her concern for Evan.

"Where's Evan? Is he okay? Can I see him?"

"Paige, slow down." Hank placed two comforting hands onto her shoulders with the hopes of calming Paige down a bit. "We won't know anything for sure until we get his blood test back, but I can tell you that they are taking good care of Evan."

"That's good," the young woman sighed in relief. "So he's going to be fine. Right, Hank?"

Hank opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for the right words. To be brutally honest, he wasn't 100% sure himself what was going on; it was an uncomfortable feeling being the worried family member instead of the in charge medical professional.

This situation was not like foreign territory to the physician. He had encountered times in the ER and ICU when he had to calmly explain to the patient's family how he would do the best he could to see that a loved one would make a full, safe recovery. So why then should he feel so thrown now?

Paige continued to wait for an answer after a few seconds passed by. When he failed to respond her brow creased with worry. "Hank?"

The doctor absentmindedly shook his head. "Oh- yeah, of course." Hank genuinely smiled at the young heiress as she sighed another breath of relief. A calmer Paige then took a seat next to Divya.

_Of course? _Hank's last words encircled his thoughts. Years ago, when he was just starting out the doctor made that mistake only once, as a know-it-all intern, and learned the hard way about the consequences of giving family members false hope. Hank vowed never to casually throw those two words around.

Now he found himself comforting someone who loved Evan just about as much as he did. Maybe, even a little more. In this particular instance, a little false hope would keep Paige's rising fear in check. At this point, Hank needed more to go on more than a theory; he needed someone to get back to him with the blood test results. Heritage was a small hospital, but its lab was comparable to those of the five star hospitals, as Evan liked to call them, Hank just had to be patient. He knew that Jill had staffed Heritage with an amazing amount of talented medical personnel. The doctor knew with that kind of help on his side, Evan would make a full recovery.

But knowing all this why did he still have this lingering…

"Hank?" The preoccupied man lifted his head at the sound of the soothing, soft familiar voice of his on again/off again girlfriend.

"Hey." Henry smiled. "I was hoping to speak with you."

"I've sent the blood test-"

"And-"

"_And,_ like all blood tests, it should be back within a few hours, at least."

Hank nodded and sighed, noticing that an hour went by since his brother was admitted. "Isn't there anything I can do till then?"

"Well…you can sit here and wait."

"Or?"

"Or you could see your brother."

Hank swiftly turned his head to his girlfriend. "You mean-"

"He's stable and they are allowing a limited number of visitors. But only for a short time," Jill warned.

xXx

Earlier, in a small room down the hallway.

Evan felt like he was floating. It was kind of a cool serene feeling mixed with a whole lot of confusion on his part.

Then he heard a voice in the distance. Evan wondered where the voice came from. He tried but found that he could not put a face to the voice. The next thing he knew, there was a sudden pull; a harsh tug at his heart. And man was the feeling uncomfortable.

_He's barely breathing…clear!_

Another pull. If felt like it was dragging him to ground.

_Charge again…CLEAR!_

The last pull caused an abrupt escape of air from his lungs.

"_We've got a pulse!_"

Evan harshly gasped for air, his eyes widened in shock. He was left with distorted images and echoing voices that continued to converse even as he struggled to make sense of everything around him. A bright light above his head left his eyes squinting as the air continued to rush out of his lungs. Then, without warning, something was snapped onto his face that had oxygen making its way into his mouth. Exhausted, Evan gave up trying to make sense of what was going on and fell into oblivion.

xXx

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_Why had something that had been so easy to do up until now was suddenly so noisy?_

_Breat- wait. Where are those voices coming from? _

Evan kept his eyes closed. He felt too comfortable to open them. _Stop talking, _he thought,_ please stop talking. I'm trying to sleep. _As much as he tried, he could not ignore the voices; not when they continued to get louder.

"_It's too early for this,_" Evan spoke groggily, eventually giving up the thought of sleeping and opening his eyes. As his vision sharpened, he began to take notice of the four familiar people in his life hovering above him. He felt a gentle hand laying onto his, trailing the hand to find its owner to be his soon-to-be fiancé. The other three included the people he felt closest too. They had stopped just being a HankMed team and had formed a small family. Well at least they had in Evan's way of thinking.

"Hey," Hank softly said to the figure in the bed. He was seated on the edge of Evan's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Evan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Wha-" He suddenly found that it hurt to speak; _just what did I do last night? _The still groggy man thought before he continued, "_Why are you guys in my room?_" The four people surrounding his bed gently chortled.

What was so funny? And why do his arms feel so heavy? What is this thing hanging below his nose? And why does his room look like…

Wait a minute!

The monitor tracking Evan's heart rate began to elevate higher numbers. Two hands lay onto his shoulders and he looked up to find his brother instructing him to breath slower.

Evan began panting. "Hank what's-"

"Easy there, Ev," the doctor instructed again. "Try and relax." Once Evan's breathing slowed and came at a steadier pace, Hank continued, "Try not to get worked up. We don't want any complications."

"Complications? From what?"

"We're trying to locate the source of your symptons but we can't be sure of anything until we receive the results of your blood test."

"How long will that take?" a worried Evan inquired.

"A few hours," Divya responded.

"What do I do until then?" Evan turned to asked the PA.

"You rest," Hank added. "You're currently provided with some medication to treat the low blood pressure." The doctor noted the uneasy look on his younger brother's face.

"Evan, you're going to be fine." Paige smiled down at the man she loved. "I'm going to call my parents." She placed her lips onto his. "I'll be right back." With that, she headed towards the hospital corridor.

A worried Hank turned to his PA. "Divya, there are two HankMed patients who are probably going to be very annoyed with…"

"I'll be more than happy to fill in for you," Divya responded.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." A bittersweet smiled formed her lips. "That being said, I've got another appointment in a few. Please call me with any updates." She looked at her boss. Hank nodded. Divya then headed for the door. "Get better soon, Evan." The physician assistant closed the door behind her.

"I should check up on the blood test and see how it's going," Jill announced. "I'll be back." When the administrator pulled the door open she almost bumped into Paige as the heiress tried to make her way back into the small room.

"My parents send their wishes," Paige said once she stood beside Evan's bed. She opened her mouth to speak but found her thoughts interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "Hello?" Hank and Evan remained quiet. "No-no! NO! Do not place it there! Move it-…no move it-…no I can't come! My boyfriend's-"

"Paige, if you need to go it's fine with me," Evan said, his throat still feeling somewhat hoarse.

She lowered the phone. "No, Evan, I don't-"

"I'm serious, Paige, if _you_ don't go _I_ will!" Evan would go too if he could just find out where his clothes went.

Paige sighed and lifted her mobile. "Alright, I'll be there. Bye." Paige turned to her boyfriend. "I won't take long." It always seemed now that she was being torn between the very people she cared about the most.

Once his sweetheart left the room, Evan broke the silence. "And then there was two."

Hank chuckled. "You make it sound as if I'm going to murder you."

"Just trying to liven things up," Evan shrugged.

"By assuming that I'll be murdering you?"

Evan lightly sniggered, which served to produce a few worn-out coughs. Hank immediately reached for the cup of water waiting on the beside table and provided it to his brother. Evan swallowed down some sips and looked up to notice his brother's solemn expression. "So…haven't you got anything better to do?"

Hank took the cup from Evan's hand and placed back on to the table. "What do you mean?"

"So you're just going to sit here and wait hours for the test to come back?"

"Why does that sound so problematic?"

"It doesn't, I just thought you'd make more use of your time than just sit here and watch me sleep." Though he would not admit it, Evan was glad his brother was by his side.

"It's a precaution, in case there are any complications."

"Isn't that what nursing staff members are trained for?"

"Evan, if you want me to leave, I'll go!"

"You don't have to leave, I was merely suggesting that you outta do something more productive."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, organise your doctor notes? There has to be something else you need to do!"

Hank paused for a few seconds. "Ev, is there something wrong?"

"Aside from the fact that I almost died, not at all. Why?" Evan watched his brother's eyebrows rise with a look to show that he could see through his playful façade. "Don't even try. Like I don't know what that look means!"

"What look?"

"The one where you think you can read me like an open book!"

"I _can_ read you like an open book!"

It was Evan's turn to pause before evading the conversation. "Shouldn't I be resting now?"

"Go ahead, I'm not stopping you."

Evan lay still for a minute before responding once more. "Well I can't do it with you standing so close and eyeballing me."

Hank sighed as he stood from the edge of the bed. "Maybe I should just leave you to rest."

"You don't have to leave the room, I just don't feel comfortable with you staring at me continuously." Evan watched a corner of his brother's lips rise, forming a smirk. Evan did not like that look. Every time Hank grinned cockily, he found a way to unveil a degrading observation that diminished Evan's pride. "What?"

"Oh I see what's going on."

"See what?"

"That you-" Hank's attention was diverted by the sound of the door opening. Jill approached the two men.

"Hey, Hank, they want you to leave so Evan can have his rest," She spoke, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "Sorry."

"Alright, Ev, I'll be just outside the room." The older man walked over to the door. "But don't worry, I won't leave the hospital."

"Why would I worry about that?" Before Evan received a response, Hank had already left the room. "Hank? I'm not worried!"

xXx

Hank closed the door behind him with a smile on his face.

"Something funny?" an amused Jill inquired.

"Oh…it's nothing," he replied. "So any word on the results?"

"Not yet, but they're working on it. Oh, have you called your father about the incident?"

Hank looked up guilty. "I completely forgot."

"While you do that do you want to grab some lunch from the cafeteria?"

"Sure." Henry smiled as he pulled up a number on his phone. He lifted it to his ear and listened to the continuous ringing.

"Turkey sandwich or tuna?" Jill said.

"Um...surprise me." Hank attentively waited until the ringing stopped.

"_Henry, my boy!" a_ jovial voice on the other line beamed. "_It's about time you checked up on your old man! How are ya'?"_

"Hey, dad, I-"

_"How's business? __Did Evan tell you about my new business venture? It's-"_

"About Ev-"

_"Hey, listen, you'll love this idea-"_

"Dad. Listen. Something has-"

_"You know what, Hank? All three of us have to do lunch soon. It's been forever since we got together as a family!"_

"Dad!" Hank exclaimed.

_"Hank, you don't sound like yourself. What's wrong?" _His father's voice toned down towards a more concern sound.

"Okay, before I tell you anything, don't freak out, because everything is under control."

_"You're making me worry, son. Is everything okay?"_

"Well, something happened…"

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p>Hmm…I feel like I've jumped the gun with Hank's brotherly worry :

I'm always going on about "characterisation" and that a fanfiction must be "in character" for it to work. And for the first time in my fics, I feel like I've ignored that rule (I think I might've gotten too excited…us whumpage enthusiasts are getting _veeeery_ hungry)

Also, I would LOVE if whumpage would bring back the brothers together in the next episode! In fact it's the PERFECT TIME TO USE EVAN WHUMPAGE! Hank saves his life and YAY! One big happy family once more…or less :)

Aaaanyways, you know the drill ;)

Mrs-N-Uzumaki xxx

P.S. There seems to be some confusion about the timing of this story. If you guys remember I uploaded this when Divya moved in with Hank and Evan. Thus, there is no current conflict between the to brothers. Hope that clears it up.


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